The transportation of supplies, patients and trained personnel is an important aspect of the medical field. In recent years, the need for transportation of patients between two locations has increased, especially in specific disciplines. For example, the federal government is a large user of medical transportation in military and veteran affairs. Exemplary transportation methods include by airplane, helicopter, truck and ambulance.
A transport vehicle has many military and veteran applications. For example, wounded military servicemen and servicewomen are often transported from an initial treatment location to a secondary area offering greater service, and generally evacuated from one location to another location. These exemplary uses and other uses of a medical transport vehicle in the military requires efficient loading, storing and unloading of patients. Patients may be loaded by litter, wheelchairs, upright seats, or by manual-assist walking.
The transportation of patients by litter in a transport vehicle has been limited by the interior configuration of the cargo area of the transport area. The use of an ambulance or small vehicle typically limits the evacuation of only one patient. The evacuation of multiple patients in a safe manner typically requires a larger bus. Regardless, any vehicle configured for multiple patients typically has a fixed interior configuration, which limits the flexibility of the transport vehicle for alternative uses.